Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of God's seeing Sin in Believers, and their Guilt by it, &c.
TRUTH. THe Sins of Believers have the Loathsomness of Sin adhering to them; which God seeth, and accounteth the Committers guilty thereby: And they ought to charge themselves therewith, so as to stir up themselves to Repentance, and renew their Actings of Faith on Christ for Forgiveness. Nevertheless, they ought not thereby to fear their being out of a Justified State, further than their Falls give them just cause of suspecting that Sin hath dominion over them; and that their first believing on Christ, was not sincere.
ERROUR. God seeth no Sin in Believers, though he see the Fact; neither doth he charge them with any Sin; nor ought they to charge themselves with any Sin, nor be at all sad for them; nor confess, repent, or do any thing as a Means of their Pardon; no, nor in order to assuring themselves of Pardon, even when they commit Murther, Adultery, or the grossest VVickedness.
Proved that this is Dr. Crisp's Opinion.
Reader, Note, That the Doctor speaks most of this concerning a Person as Elect; though he uses the word Believer sometimes, because he alone knows that he is Elect, by believing it P. 436 Though such Persons do act Rebellion, yet the loathsomness, and abominableness, and hatefulness of this Rebellion, is laid on the back of Christ; he bears the Sin, as well as the Blame and Shame, &c. And that's the only reason why God can dwell with those Persons that do act the thing; because all the filthiness of it, is transacted from them, on the back of Christ. He puts an Objection; How should God know every sin the Believer doth commit, and yet God not remember them? He Answers, after many words; Though God remembers the things thou hast done, yet he doth not remember them as thine, &c. for he remembers perfectly they are none of thine; and when he pass'd them over to Christ, they ceased to be thine any longer. P. 364. The Lord hath not one sin to charge upon an Elect Person, from the first moment of Conception, to the last moment of Life; no, nor Original Sin is not to be laid upon him, the Lord hath laid it on Christ already. P. 365. Every Elect Vessel of God, from the first instant of his being, is as pure in the Eyes of God from the charge of Sin, as he shall be in Glory. P. 298. It's the voice of a lying Spirit in your Hearts, that saith, That you that are Believers, have yet sin wasting your Consciences, and lying as a burthen too heavy for you to bear. &c. Obj. Was not David a Justif… Person, and did not he bear his own sin? My sins are gone over my head, &c. After several things, he Answers; I must tell you, all that David speaks here, he speaks from himself; and all that David speaks from himself, was not truth, &c. David might mistake, that God should charge his sin upon him, &c. P. 213. In a word, Before a Believer doth confess his sin, he may be as certain of the pardon of it, as after Confession: I say, there is as much ground to be confident of the Pardon of Sin to a Believer, as soon as ever he hath committed it, though he hath not made a solemn Act of Confession, as to believe it after he hath performed all the Humiliation in the World, &c. A Believer may be assured of Pardon, as soon as he commits any Sin: (The Sins he speaks of, are Adultery and Murther.) P. 215. But you will say, All the Promises of Pardon do run with this Proviso, In case Men humble themselves; In case Men do this and that, then Pardon is theirs, but otherwise it's none of theirs? Take heed of such Doctrine. P. 52. There is nothing but Joy and Gladness. Obj. But some will say, Believers find it otherwise; there is not such joy and gladness, but they are often oppressed with sadness, and heaviness of Spirit. I Answer; There is not one Fit of Sadness in any Believer whatsoever, but he is out of the way, Christ, &c. I say the Soul is first satisfied of Forgiveness of Sins, before there is that real, kindly mourning in those that are Believers. P. 15. God doth no longer stand offended nor displeased, though a Believer, after he is a Believer, do sin often. And it's no wonder; for he saith a few lines after, Except God will be offended where there is no cause to be offended, (which is Blasphemy to speak,) he will not be offended with Believers: For I say he hath no cause to be offended with a Believer; because he doth not find the sin of the Believer, to be his own sin, but he finds it to be the Sin of Christ. See more, p. 413, 416, 418, 419, 425, &c.
Wherein the Difference is not.
1. It is not: VVhether a Believer doth by new Sins fall from a Justified state. 2. Nor, whether God doth upon new Crimes judicially charge the Christian with those Sins he had pardoned before, though he may present to his view some former Sins for his further humblings. 3. Nor, whether a Believer ought to question his Justified state, upon any Sins that do not give just Suspicion that Sin hath dominion over him, or his Faith was not true. 4. Nor, whether any past Sins, and Sins present at his first believing, be unpardoned. 5. Nor, whether renewed Acts of Faith, Humiliation, Repentance, Fasting, or Reformation, do merit Pardon. 6. Nor, whether a Principle of Life given at our first Conversion, will finally fail to exert it self in due Humblings for repeated Enormities, and in holy Resolves. 7. Nor, whether the same degrees of Humblings be necessary for all Crimes, and in all Persons, and in all Times. 8. Nor, whether any gross Miscarriage should cause a Saint to condemn all past Experience, and conclude his Graces to be Counterfeit. Each of these I deny. 9. Nor, whether a Sense of Pardon ought not to affect and melt the Heart? 10. Nor whether some true Penitents may not sometimes be too much dejected and overwhelmed with Sorrow for Sin? 11. Nor whether a general Exercise of Faith and Repentance do not answer the Gospel-Rule of Forgiveness, as to Sins of Ignorance, Infirmity, and Surprise? These three last I affirm.
The Real Differences.
1. Whether an Elect Sinner be at any time a guilty Person in God's Esteem? This the Doctor denies, and I affirm; I have proved in Chap. 1, 3. 7, 12. 2. Whether the Remains of Sin defile us? This I affirm, and the Doctor denies against all Protestants, who prove it of Original Sin against the Papists. 3. Whether a justified Person, falling into gross Enormities, is defiled thereby, and contracts Guilt upon himself thereby? This the Doctor denies and I do affirm. 4. Whether God esteems the repeated Abominations of Believers, not to be their own Crimes, and they not to be the Sinners, but they are Christ's Sins? This the Doctor affirms, and I deny; which I have cleared, Chap. 3. and 4. and 7. 5. Whether a justified Person, upon new Provocations, is charged by God, and ought to charge himself as guilty and defiled, so as in God's appointed way, to repent, believe, renew his Covenant, and be earnest with God for Forgiveness? This the Doctor denies, and I afirm. 6. Whether all Sins past, present and to come, are actually pardoned at once? This the Doctor affirms, and I deny. 7. Whether God hath required new Exercises of Faith and Repentance for their actual Pardon? This the Doctor denies, and I affirm. 8. Whether a Believer ought to be as assured of the Forgiveness of his repeated Provocations, just when he hath committed them, and before he hath humbled himself, renewed Actings of Faith on Christ, repeated his Covenant, and prayed for Pardon for Christ's Sake, as after he hath thus done? This the Doctor affirms, and I deny.
The Truth Confirmed.
I have said so much, Chap. 3. 4, 8, 10, 12, 13. that tends to clear this Point, that I shall single out now only the Substance of what was least insisted on.
1. God doth see and charge a Believer with his new Enormities, as his Sins, and not Christ's: 2 Sam. 12. 9. Why hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord, to do this Evil in his Sight? It was an Evil, it was in God's Sight, it's charged by God on David: Psal. 90. 8. Thou hast set our Iniquities before thee. I hope Moses was not mistaken. All God's Reproofs of his People for Sin, all his Calls to Reformation from Sin, all his Declarations against them as polluted by Sin, are so many Arguments to prove this; yea, all his Threats, all his Anger, all his Corrections witness hereto. Sure all these are not the Effects of Christ's Sins.
2. A Believer ought to charge himself with his own Sins. God commands this in all the Calls to Confession, Humiliation, &c. Doth not Paul reprove the Corinthians for neglecting this? Did you ever find a Saint in Scripture still refuse to own his Guiltiness before God, upon his Falling into Sin: Against thee have I sinned, and done Evil in thy Sight, Psal. 51. 4. I have sinned, against Heaven, and before thee, Luk. 15. 21. Read Ezra's, Nehemiah's and Daniel's Confessions.
3. New Transgressions need renewed Pardon, and all Sins are not pardoned at once. To say nothing, how impossible it is, I believe Christ would never teach his own People to pray daily for Pardon, if they did not need it, and it could not be repeated, Mat. 6. 12. Forgive us our Debts. How oft do we find the Servants of God renew their Prayers for Remission? They oft beg God would blot out Sin as a Debt, Psal. 51. 9. Wash it away as a Stain, remit it as a Fault, remember it not as a Crime binding to Punishment, the Church complains we have rebelled, and thou hast not pardoned, Lam. 3. 42. So Job 7. 21.
4. Humiliation, Confession, Sorrow of Heart, new Resolutions, and looking to Christ for Healing, are the Duties of Saints upon new Faults, and the Work God hath appointed them, in order to his repeated Acts of Forgiveness; though these do not forgive us, yet it's this way God declareth he will forgive, Jer. 36. 3. It may be, the House of Judah will hear, &c. and return every one from his evil Way, that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin. 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins. The Apostle includes himself, and calls the best a Liar that disowns his Sins, and thinks he needs no Pardon; Confession is what should be repeated as Sin returns, and this so qualifies for Pardon according to the Promise, that Forgiveness upon it is an Act of Faithfulness in God: 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves, we should not be judged: VVhichWhich the Apostle speaks to Believers guilty of undue Approaches to the Lord's Table. Read the Scriptures, and wilt thou not find Saints repenting, and acting Faith in order to Pardon, and God pressing them thereto for that very purpose, and continuing a Controversie with them, while these are neglected? If a Man were thrice stung, must not he thrice look to the brazen Serpent for Healing? See Solomon's Prayer in a Type of Christ's Intercession, as it respected the Temple; there thou wilt find who were pardoned, 1 Kings 8. 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 48, 49.
5. Believers ought to be more assured of Pardon, and joyful after renewed Acts of Repentance and Faith; then assoon as they have grosly sinned, and before these Acts. It's otherwise against that wise Order which God hath stated for a due Reverence to him, and for Caution to Man, who is so prone to offend: Num. 12. 14. If her Father had spit in her Face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the Camp seven Days. The People of God have had those sad Fits which the Doctor condemns, and when Sin greatly breaks out, they do well become them. Paul calls the contrary Frame under Guilt, a being puffed up, and Calls to Mourning, 1 Cor. 5. 2. and commends their Carefulness, Indignation, Fear, Zeal, Revenge and godly Sorrow, 2 Cor. 7. 8, 9, 11. And till there was much of this in the incestuous Person, he was not restored: And indeed, considering God remits or binds in Heaven, according to what his Church doth justly on Earth; either the Pardon of the not repenting Offender is suspended, or Censures are vain, Need I give you David's Experience? Psal. 32. 3, 5. When I kept Silence, my Bones waxed old, through my roaring all the Day long; for Day and Night thy Hand was heavy upon me: I acknowleged my Sin unto thee; I said, I will confess my Transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin. Here's great Darkness and Trouble before Confession; here's Forgiveness upon it, and it's the Iniquity of his Sin is pardoned, not the Action separated from its Filthiness: And V. 6. This Practice of his was to be a teaching Instance to all Saints in the like Case, For this shall every one that's godly pray unto thee, &c.
TESTIMONIES.
The Assembly, and Congregational Elders, Chap, 11. a. 5. do both declare, God doth continue to forgive the Sins of those that are justified, and although they can never fall from the State of Justification, yet they may by their Sins fall under God's fatherly Displeasure, and in that Condition they have not usually the Light of his Countenance restored to them, until they humble themselves, confess their Sins, beg Pardon, and renew their Faith and Repentance. And Chap. 15. a. 6. As every Man is bound to make private Confession of his Sins to God, praying for the Pardon thereof, upon which, and the forsaking thereof, he shall find Mercy, &c. The Provincial Synod of London, P. 16. Condemn this as one of Doctor Crisp's Errors: The Lord hath not one Sin to charge upon any elect Person, &c. Another Errour is, If a Man know himself to be in a State of Grace, though he be drunk, or commit Murther, God sees no Sin in him. The New-England Synod confute this as Errour 64. A man must take no notice of his Sin, nor of his Repentance for it. Doctor Owen, Of Justif. P. 202, 203, 205, 207. at large asserts, That Sins are not actually pardoned before they are committed; that there is Guilt contracted by new Sins; that the Conscience of a Believer is pressed, and he is humbled, and required to repent, and must renew Acts of Faith for the Pardon of new Sins. New-England Synod condemns that as Errour 20. To call in question, whether God be my dear Father upon the Commission of hainous Sins, as (Murther, Incest, &c.) doth prove a Man to be in the Covenant of Works.
The Ground of the Doctor's Mistake.
Because our Sins were laid on Christ, that God might, to his Glory, forgive them in his appointed way; therefore they are actually forgiven before God forgives them in that way, or that way be complied with. Because God doth blot out, and wash throughly away, and not remember the pardoned Sins of penitent Believers; therefore he doth wash, blot out, and not remember the unpardoned Sins of impenitent Persons; whereas there is not one of those, to whom these Promises are made, but God hath charged Sin upon them before. Because God commands Israel, Isa. 1. to wash and make themselves clean by Repentance; therefore we are clean without it. Because God can have no Communion with a Sinner out of Christ; therefore he can have no Communion with an imperfect Believer, in a Christ.